Written Answers

Monday 21 August 2000

Scottish Executive

Air Services

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-4229 and S1W-4662 by Sarah Boyack on 18 February and 21 March 2000, whether the Scottish Airports and Air Services Study has been submitted to the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions; whether the Scottish Executive has reconsidered its decision not to publish its response to the UK consultation; when it anticipates the formal UK consultation process will be launched; how the Scottish Executive will involve the Scottish Parliament in that consultation process, and whether the Scottish Executive will make its response to the UK consultation available to the Parliament so that the Parliament may take the Executive’s position into account in framing its own responses.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Airports and Air Services study report has now been submitted to the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions and the Scottish Executive. The findings from this study, from the other United Kingdom regional studies and from the UK Regional Air Services Co-ordination Study will be taken forward in consultation papers to be published later this year. In Scotland the consultation paper will be issued by the Scottish Executive in conjunction with DETR and will be laid before the Scottish Parliament; copies will be made available to the Transport and Environment Committee. The Executive will take account of the responses to the consultation exercise, including any from the Scottish Parliament and its committee, before formulating any response to the UK Government. Any representations by the Executive which deal with matters reserved to the UK Parliament will require to be made in confidence in the same way as representations received by the Scottish Executive would be treated.

Air Services

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3242 by Sarah Boyack on 20 January 2000, whether Scottish guidance on Airport Transport Forums and Airport Surface Access Strategies has now been issued.

Sarah Boyack: I hope to publish the guidance later this year.

Bridges

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many bridges will require replacement within the next (a) five, (b) 10 and (c) 15 years; which bridges these are, and whether it will consider making specific funding available to local authorities towards the cost of replacing these bridges.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive does not hold the information requested.

Cancer

Alex Johnstone (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the additional number of cancer and other patients is at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee who would previously have been treated at Stracathro hospital.

Susan Deacon: This is a matter for Tayside University Hospitals NHS Trust.

Cancer

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, in the light of the current incidence of cancers and the associated need for treatment and palliative care, what the national manpower plan for medical and clinical oncologists is for the next 10 years.

Susan Deacon: Cancer is one of three clinical priorities for the NHS in Scotland. As noted in my reply to question S1W-3216 (also from Mr Harding), workforce planning is an integral part of the planning cycle for the NHS in Scotland. To provide continuity of care for patients, specialist medical staffing is monitored annually to ensure appropriate numbers of doctors undertake higher specialist training in each specialty to be eligible for consultant posts becoming vacant.

  This year’s annual joint review by the Scottish Executive and the Scottish Council for Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education has agreed that the number of Specialist Registrar posts in medical and clinical oncology should increase by five and seven respectively, bringing the totals to 17 and 23.

  Later this year results will be available from the exercise commissioned by the Scottish Cancer Group to model predictive trends in cancer incidence over the next 10 years. It is envisaged that this will inform future service and workforce planning.

Care of the Elderly

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to abolish separate registration of nursing and residential care homes and create a single registration system covering both.

Iain Gray: We are proposing to replace the current separate systems of registration of residential care and nursing homes with a new system registering both types as "care homes". This system will be operated by the proposed Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care. We intend to introduce legislation to achieve this change at the earliest opportunity. Our policy proposals related to this are set out in The Way Forward for Care  (SE/2000/67) which was laid before Parliament on 5   July 2000.

Crown Estate

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met representatives of the Crown Estate and what matters were discussed.

Donald Dewar: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the Crown Estate on a range of issues.

Epilepsy

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to ensure that all health boards include epilepsy care and treatment in their health improvement plans and develop a managed clinical network of epilepsy services.

Susan Deacon: As was made clear in the debate on 17 May, the concept of Managed Clinical Networks has the potential to bring about significant improvements in services for those with epilepsy. The Scottish Executive Health Department has therefore been encouraging clinicians and the voluntary sector to develop the idea of such networks.

  Five health boards already include epilepsy in their Health Improvement Programmes.

Gaelic

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-8128 by Sarah Boyack on 4 July 2000, what it considers to be the appropriate use of Gaelic in National Parks with regard to signage and bilingual publications.

Sarah Boyack: It will be for each National Park Authority, together with its partners in preparing the National Park Plan, to decide on the most appropriate means of promoting Gaelic. Guidance for each National Park Authority will identify best practice.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Scottish Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee working group on recruitment, training and retention of medical laboratory scientific officers will produce its report.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee (SMASAC) Working Group on the Recruitment, Training and Retention of Medical Laboratory Scientific Officers expects to report to SMASAC towards the end of the year. SMASAC felt that the importance of this professional grouping justified examining the issues in depth, even though that meant taking more time than originally intended.

Health

Mr John McAllion (Dundee East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish a list of those health boards and NHS trusts which operate, or have operated in the past five years, car pools for the use of managers.

Susan Deacon: This information is not held centrally.

Health

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any proposals to ensure that medical treatments are equally available to all citizens requiring them, regardless of their health board area.

Susan Deacon: Our Programme for Government sets out our commitment to ensuring that access to health services must be determined by need and not by place of residence.

  We are taking that forward in a number of ways. We are setting up the Health Technology Board for Scotland to ensure that effective new treatments can move swiftly into mainstream NHS use across Scotland as a whole. Implemented against a background of clinical governance, this single source of advice should help eliminate so-called "post-code prescribing".

  The work of the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network and the Scottish Needs Assessment Programme provides clinicians across Scotland with authoritative advice on specific topics. The Clinical Standards Board for Scotland’s emphasis on national agreement of clinical standards for specific conditions is a further way of encouraging uniform provision of high quality health care across Scotland.

  In primary care, the Local Health Care Co-operatives (LHCC) Best Practice Group provides a vehicle for looking at access to primary care. Many LHCCs have already undertaken needs assessments for their localities, often in conjunction with the public health departments of their local health board. This enables them to find local answers to local problems, making sure health care resources are targeted on those who need a particular service or treatment.

  In the acute sector, there is an important role for Managed Clinical Networks in promoting access to services, as locally as possible where that can be done without compromising patient safety. The system of designating certain services on a national basis helps ensure patients have access to highly complex but low volume procedures regardless of where in Scotland they happen to live.

Health

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the financial recovery plan for Tayside’s health services will have on acute services within Tayside and Angus.

Susan Deacon: It is a matter primarily for Tayside Health Board and the NHS Trusts in Tayside to plan and deliver a range of health services, including acute services, which are both clinically effective and financially sustainable. The Tayside Task Force and the Scottish Executive Health Department are working with the board and Trusts to support them in doing so.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the recommendations of the Scottish Needs Assessment Programme report published in 1997, what measures are in place to collect information at (a) health board and (b) national level on the subject of osteoporosis.

Susan Deacon: The Executive does not hold details of measures in place at health board level to collect information on osteoporosis.

  Information is gathered centrally from those General Practitioner practices participating in Continuous Morbidity Recording (CMR). The Scottish Morbidity Record (SMR) series record inpatient and day case discharges, including those for osteoporosis. Hospitalisations will be recorded on the acute hospital data set (SMR01).

  The Scottish Needs Assessment Programme report was issued to health boards on the basis that it provided valuable advice and evidence relevant to the prevention, detection and management of osteoporosis. It is the responsibility of individual health boards to decide what action is required in their area, taking into account all available advice on the subject of osteoporosis and the needs of the local population.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to questions S1W-7831 and S1W-6761 by Susan Deacon on 17 July and 7 June 2000, and with reference to the Scottish Needs Assessment Programme report on osteoporosis published in 1997, what structures are in place to monitor and evaluate programmes to reduce the incidence of falls amongst those with low bone density.

Susan Deacon: There are no formal structures at the national level to monitor and evaluate programmes to reduce the incidence of falls amongst those with low bone density. There are, however, a number of local projects aimed at reducing falls amongst those most at risk. Responsibility for monitoring and evaluating such projects rests at the local level.

  The Scottish Needs Assessment Programme report was issued to health boards on the basis that it provided valuable advice and evidence relevant to the prevention, detection and management of osteoporosis. It is the responsibility of individual health boards to decide what action is required in their area, taking into account all available advice on the subject of osteoporosis and the needs of the local population.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many osteoporosis sufferers are receiving treatment to prevent further bone loss in each health board area.

Susan Deacon: The information requested is not held centrally. However, it is estimated that around 18,000 people in Scotland were seen by General Practitioners in respect of osteoporosis in 1999.

Higher Education

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which universities and/or colleges offer a degree course in play work with children and how many places are available on each course.

Nicol Stephen: No universities or colleges in Scotland offer degree courses in play work with children.

Holyrood Project

David McLetchie (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-6451 by Mr Jack McConnell on 16 May 2000, whether it can now give a date when cost estimates will be available for ancillary works associated with the Holyrood Project.

Mr Jack McConnell: It is not yet possible to provide a firm date when cost estimates for ancillary works associated with the Holyrood Project will be available. This is dependent on further development of detailed design of the work and its programming.

Holyrood Project

David McLetchie (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive who is responsible for taking the decision as to what is commissioned in relation to any external works associated with the Holyrood Project.

Mr Jack McConnell: Arrangements for commissioning and overseeing the external works in Holyrood Park associated with the Holyrood Project are the responsibility of the Holyrood Project Team. Funding will be provided by the Scottish Executive through Historic Scotland up to a ceiling to be agreed. Edinburgh City Council has been considering with the Scottish Executive what additional costs may fall on the council as a result of the need for external works and how these will be met.

Hospital Death

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to investigate the death of baby Britney Smith of Forfar in Ninewells Hospital, Dundee.

Susan Deacon: I understand that a report has been submitted to the Procurator Fiscal in Tayside and that the matter is currently being investigated.

Influenza

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to its news release SE0028/2000 of 10 January 2000, what the criteria are for diagnosing influenza in Scotland and how these differ from the criteria for diagnosing influenza in England and Wales.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to its news release SE0028/2000 of 10 January 2000, why the criteria for diagnosing influenza in Scotland differ from the criteria in England and Wales, given that the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation is UK-wide and that flu vaccines are purchased by the Department of Health in England and Wales on behalf of other UK health departments.

Susan Deacon: The press release was referring to differences between Scotland and England in methods of surveillance of the incidence of patients consulting general practitioners about "flu-like symptoms".

  When a patient consults a general practitioner it cannot be determined immediately whether the "flu-like symptoms" are due to influenza or some other cause and it takes time for confirmatory tests to be carried out. Nevertheless, such consultations are counted in order to provide an immediate picture from week to week, so as to determine as early as possible whether numbers of cases are growing.

  The surveillance scheme co-ordinated by the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health counts "consultation for ‘flu-like illness" whereas the English scheme counts "first consultation for ‘flu-like illness". Despite this difference, reporting rates are classified using similar criteria. Because they are categorised in the same way in Scotland and England, influenza rates can legitimately be compared.

Mental Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when those patients currently experiencing delays in discharge from the State Hospital, Carstairs, will be released to appropriate local secure facilities.

Iain Gray: The development of local forensic psychiatric units and associated services is being advanced by health boards and local authorities in response to the national strategy for this care group.

  The first of these facilities to provide forensic services for South East Scotland, based in the grounds of the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, is due to open in November this year.

Mental Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to implement fully the national strategy for the care of mentally disordered offenders.

Iain Gray: Health boards and local authorities throughout Scotland are working with others to determine how existing patterns of service can be utilised or adjusted to better reflect the national strategy aims and provide the safest and most appropriate configuration of services and accommodation for this care group.

  Progress is monitored but given the different starting points, full implementation will vary from area to area.

NHS

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many adverse health care events occurred in the NHSiS in each of the last three years and what percentage of these events had as one of their underlying causes a shortcoming in the provision of modern equipment.

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the direct and indirect costs to the NHSiS of adverse healthcare events were in each of the last three years.

Susan Deacon: This information is not held centrally.

NHS

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what research was undertaken and is planned in relation to identifying and addressing the occurrence of serious adverse healthcare events in the NHSiS.

Susan Deacon: No research has been undertaken centrally.

  Risk assessment procedures and lessons from adverse health care events should be considered as part of NHS Trust clinical governance arrangements.

NHS Trusts

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many claims there were against the NHS Trusts in each health board area in respect of (a) clinical mishaps or accidents, (b) non-clinical mishaps or accidents in each of the last five years and what the total cost of these types of claims in each health board area was in terms of (i) compensation paid out and (ii) investigating and defending claims.

Susan Deacon: Until 1 April 2000, health boards and Trusts were responsible for arranging their own cover for non-clinical incidents. As a result there is no central system that records non-clinical claims. This information can however be obtained directly from health boards and Trusts.

  The following tables provide details by health board area of the number of cases settled, the compensation paid and the claimant’s legal costs in each of the last five years.

  All clinical cases are handled and defended by the Central Legal Office (CLO). The cost of defending each health board area’s cases is not collected but can be requested directly from CLO.

  

 

1999-2000 


1998-99 




No. of
claims 


Compensation paid 


Legal costs 


No. of claims 


Compensation paid 


Legal costs 




Argyll & Clyde 


15 


92,628 


47,611 


15 


776,317 


97,794 




Ayrshire & Arran 


6 


277,345 


5,721 


6 


191,630 


8,328 




Dumfries&Galloway 


8 


133,614 


19,887 


10 


103,622 


62,921 




Fife 


8 


45,900 


13,075 


8 


71,588 


14,659 




Forth Valley 


6 


27,865 


5,964 


10 


27,300 


18,716 




Grampian 


10 


405,383 


8,957 


9 


59,281 


20,626 




Greater Glasgow 


45 


498,733 


166,494 


50 


327,700 


206,466 




Highland 


8 


269,745 


25,198 


6 


55,500 


9,541 




Lanarkshire 


8 


99,698 


20,610 


13 


84,300 


32,178 




Lothian 


34 


919,160 


204,452 


27 


1,412,009 


118,972 




Tayside 


16 


251,000 


29,165 


12 


147,782 


53,081 




Other Boards 


5 


184,164 


8,644 


4 


50,600 


4,502 




Total 


169 


3,205,235 


555,778 


170 


3,307,629 


647,784 




  

 

1997-98 


1996-97 




No. of
Claims 


Compensation paid 


Legal costs 


No. of Claims 


Compensation paid 


Legal costs 




Argyll & Clyde 


16 


681,945 


59,817 


30 


435,908 


74,366 




Ayrshire & Arran 


9 


25,000 


105,642 


16 


306,200 


20,126 




Fife 


12 


106,313 


53,083 


15 


82,293 


20,087 




Forth Valley 


10 


204,750 


21,837 


13 


1,067,005 


31,752 




Grampian 


15 


67,400 


39,560 


10 


277,462 


22,316 




Greater Glasgow 


35 


1,272,360 


104,001 


27 


1,036,380 


100,378 




Highland 


10 


415,200 


8,564 


6 


9,600 


39,368 




Lanarkshire 


11 


78,650 


19,725 


17 


90,872 


17,478 




Lothian 


26 


337,109 


137,802 


37 


383,975 


174,651 




Tayside 


18 


210,770 


45,972 


12 


158,022 


20,993 




Other Boards 


5 


121,702 


27,933 


7 


212,166 


14,106 




Total 


167 


3,521,199 


623,936 


190 


4,059,883 


535,621 




  

 
 

1995-96 

 



No. of claims 


Compensation paid 


Legal costs 




Argyll & Clyde 


16 


227,562 


53,211 




Ayrshire & Arran 


7 


48,105 


8,611 




Dumfries&Galloway 


9 


73,606 


19,421 




Fife 


8 


66,766 


15,019 




Forth Valley 


7 


155,713 


4,533 




Grampian 


11 


55,244 


17,749 




Greater Glasgow 


46 


1,287,877 


171,627 




Highland 


13 


212,440 


12,369 




Lanarkshire 


10 


77,550 


46,345 




Lothian 


30 


1,244,027 


174,000 




Tayside 


12 


54,540 


43,158 




Other Boards 


3 


51,500 


3,000 




Total 


172 


3,554,930 


569,043 




  To protect patient confidentiality the information has been aggregated for some health boards, which have only a small number of claims.

NHS Trusts

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the clinical or non-clinical mishaps or accidents in respect of which claims were made against NHS Trusts in the last five years the NHS Management Executive considers to have been avoidable; what type of interventions would have prevented these incidents, and what plans are in place to implement any such preventative measures.

Susan Deacon: This information is not held centrally.

National Lottery

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in considering its future policy directions to the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) on the distribution of Lottery funding, it will investigate the level of financial assistance received from the Fund by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB); whether it will instruct the NHMF to give priority to any future RSPB applications for NHMF funding or whether it will instruct the fund to give priority to any particular other organisations over any RSPB applications; if so, which organisations and whether these organisations will include farmers in Islay.

Rhona Brankin: It would not be appropriate to make provision in policy directions in relation to particular organisations.

Public/Private Partnerships

Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make it a requirement that local authorities and other public bodies publish all business plans relating to Private Finance Initiative and Public/Private Partnership projects.

Mr Jack McConnell: I announced last June that for all Scottish Executive Public/Private Partnership projects full business cases would be published, and that I hoped that all parts of the public sector would follow this practice. CoSLA and other public bodies were informed of that policy.

  In any further round of specific Public/Private Partnerships funding support to local authorities it will be a condition that full business cases be published.

Rail Network

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the Scott Wilson Scottish Borders railway feasibility study (summary report), whether it will commission a supplementary report to address the potential impact on the tourist industry in the Borders if the entire line from Edinburgh to Carlisle were to be re-instated.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive does not intend to commission a supplementary report on the potential impact on tourism of reopening the Borders railway. This issue was addressed in the full Borders railway feasibility study which concluded that full reinstatement of the line beyond central Borders would incur very high additional capital costs in return for capturing little additional demand. When analysing the impact on tourism of reopening the line, the report did not rule out the possible southerly extension of the line as a tourist attraction.

Road Safety

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans for road safety improvements on (a) the A84 between Stirling and Lochearnhead and (b) the A85 between Lochearnhead and Tyndrum.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive has a number of road safety improvement schemes programmed for the A84 between Stirling and Lochearnhead. In addition, two other road safety schemes are also programmed on the A82 between Crianlarich and Tyndrum. The work involved within the current financial year is estimated to cost £265,000.

Roads

Alex Johnstone (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to reconsider the possibility of providing a bypass for Keith.

Sarah Boyack: The Executive’s position remains as set out on pages 11 and 12 of Scheme Decisions , the annex to the Strategic Roads Review published on 4 November 1999.

Roads

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3204 by Sarah Boyack on 12 January 2000, whether any progress has been made in discussing co-ordination of the M77 and the Glasgow Southern Orbital; whether the Scottish Executive intends to progress the two roads through a joint single contract, or how otherwise it intends to secure the co-ordination of the M77 and the Glasgow Southern Orbital.

Sarah Boyack: Objections were made to the planning applications, compulsory purchase orders, and side road orders needed by East Renfrewshire and South Lanarkshire Councils for the construction of the Glasgow Southern Orbital. These objections require to be considered at a public local inquiry into the proposals. It is expected that a date for the inquiry will be announced shortly.

  The Scottish Executive intends the Glasgow Southern Orbital and the M77 from Fenwick to Malletsheugh to be procured as a single Public/Private Partnership should East Renfrewshire and South Lanarkshire Councils be successful in obtaining the necessary statutory powers to construct the Glasgow Southern Orbital at the public inquiry. Discussions between the Department and officials from the two local authorities are continuing on that basis.

Small Towns

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the effectiveness of the Small Towns Initiative.

Nicol Stephen: In November 1999, the Planning & Evaluation unit and the Competitive Place Directorate within Scottish Enterprise commissioned a review of the Small Towns Initiative. This review was carried out by the consultant Malcolm Watson and was completed in May this year. Scottish Enterprise are currently working to produce a policy paper to take to the next Network Rural Leadership Group meeting in August. The policy paper is currently in draft form and will cover the findings and learning points from the review, the current issues facing small towns in Scotland and the possible policy responses to these issues. The review and the policy paper should both be available by 1 September 2000.

Vulnerable Projects Scheme

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many voluntary sector projects operating in Clydesdale will benefit from a share of the £8 million announced on 19 July 2000 under the vulnerable projects scheme.

Mr Jack McConnell: The database of organisations in receipt of assistance under the Vulnerable Projects Scheme is not categorised by the parliamentary constituency within which such organisations operate.

  A full list of organisations to benefit will be provided to the Scottish Parliament Information Centre when it is available.

Water Charges

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the reason is for the 43% increase in water charges for Band D customers in 2000-01 by North of Scotland Water Authority, and whether the increase is consistent with the Minister for Transport and the Environment’s announcement that the overall revenue increase for the authority for that period would be 35%.

Sarah Boyack: When the authority was set up in 1996, it inherited a range of water and wastewater charges from the various councils. It has gradually moved to harmonise charges throughout its area. With the new charges for 2000-01, this process is now complete for domestic customers. In addition there has been some rebalancing of charges from non-domestic to domestic customers to reflect actual costs. Taken together, these factors have meant that charges for some groups of customers have risen by more than 35% to bring them into line with the rest of the area. Charges for some other groups have risen by less than 35%.

  This approach is entirely consistent with a requirement for a total revenue increase from all customers of no more than 35%, needed to meet very significant investment needs of the authority.

Water Industry

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the environment budget was not utilised in 1999-2000; how much of the end-year balance was originally allocated to water industry funding, and how this end-year balance will be utilised in 2000-01.

Mr Jack McConnell: A total of £4.685 million, excluding environment related expenditure by local authorities, was not utilised in 1999-2000. £4.4 million relates to the water industry funding and has been allocated in full to the water programme for the current year. Of the remaining £0.3 million, £0.2 million has been allocated to research and publicity and £0.1 million to the reserve. The environment budget will, of course, be eligible to receive allocations from the reserve in the course of the year.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Holyrood Project

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Presiding Officer what capital contracts have been let so far in relation to the Holyrood Project, indicating in each case the timescale for the contract, the name of the successful contractor and the total cost of the contract.

Sir David Steel: The contract sums involved are commercially confidential. In line with standard public sector procurement policy, the financial details of the successful tender are commercially confidential, as disclosure of such information could substantially prejudice the company’s future competitive position. The rest of the information is as follows:

  


Works Package 


Contractor 


Contract Let 


Duration 




Retention West Basement 


Amec Civil Engineering Ltd 


19/04/99 


4 months 




Excavation West 


Barr Ltd 


19/07/99 


3 months 




Well Probing 


Wimtec Environmental Ltd 


22/07/99 


11 months 




Piling West Basement 


Amec Civil Engineering Ltd 


13/09/99 


3 months 




Substructure West Basement 


O’Rourke Civil Engineering Ltd 


12/10/99 


5 months 




Tower Cranes 


Select Plant Hire Ltd 


06/11/99 


20 months 




Asbestos/Pigeon Dropping Removal 


Chamic Industrial Services Ltd 


29/11/99 


5 months 




Well Drilling 


Richies Ltd 


13/12/99 


5 months 




QH Scaffolding 


Lyndon Scaffolding PLC 


29/02/00 


19 months 




MSP Frame 


O’Rourke Civil Engineering Ltd 


10/04/00 


10 months 




Electrical Enabling works 


James Scott Ltd 


08/05/00 


10 months

Holyrood Project

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Presiding Officer what capital contracts are currently out to tender, or being prepared for tender, in relation to the Holyrood Project, indicating in each case the timescale for award of the contract, commencement on site, and completion of works.

Sir David Steel: The information is as follows:

  


Works Package 


Estimated Award 


Estimated Site Start 


Estimated Completion 




QH Demolition & Reconstruction 


25/08/00 


04/09/00 


25/06/01 




Lifts 


31/08/00 


19/02/01 


19/05/01 




MSP Roofing 


01/09/00 


08/01/01 


30/04/01 




Substructure 
Concrete East
Basement 


01/09/00 


11/09/00 


20/11/00 




MSP Cladding 


29/09/00 


12/02/01 


12/06/01 




Mechanical &
Plumbing West 


29/09/00 


12/02/01 


29/07/02 




Electrical Works
West 


13/10/00 


19/03/01 


19/06/01 




MSP Carpentry &
Joinery 


13/10/00 


02/04/01 


03/12/01





QH External
Render 


10/11/00 


12/03/01 


06/05/02